Storm-Damaged Port Hueneme Pier Is Reopened

The Port Hueneme Pier, severely damaged in last month’s storms, reopened Friday morning in what Mayor Toni Young called record time.

City officials and Cushman Construction of Santa Barbara hustled to stabilize the pier after an onslaught of towering waves Jan. 4. The violent surf swept away 39 pilings, four benches, two light standards and 100 feet from the pier’s east end.

The city has spent $170,000 so far on repairs and the east end is still missing. Rather than wait for money to replace it, officials have railed off the area and now have a functional if not symmetrical structure.

“What used to be a T-shaped pier is going to open today as an L-shaped pier,” Denis Murrin, city facilities maintenance supervisor, told about 40 people at a city ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Although hundreds of thousands of dollars more in work must be done, city officials are as sunny about the pier’s future as Friday’s weather.

Officials are hoping to get state and federal aid to pay for all but about $50,000 of Port Hueneme’s total storm damage. Tina Esparza, housing and facilities maintenance director, said the city incurred about $500,000 in damage--$480,000 of that to the pier.

Esparza said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay for 75% of the storm damage, with the state paying most of the rest.

Young said the Port Hueneme City Council will review funding options at its March 16 meeting. Meanwhile, officials are preparing to solicit bids for the east wing project and other repairs. Murrin said the pier might have to shut down for a month to six weeks while those repairs take place.

Young praised Murrin for working so quickly to stabilize the pier even when his own home in Oak View was threatened by the surging Ventura River.

She also thanked the Oxnard Harbor District and Navy officials for their help in providing pilings and two local residents who documented the storm damage. Also lauded were city employees Jim Bell and Richard Tulley, who volunteered weekends to help with security.

Outdoor enthusiasts also were grateful for the quick repair job, noting that the structure had never closed since being extended to its present size in 1968.

“Hat’s off to those guys, because it could have been a lot worse if the repairs weren’t made quickly,” said Port Hueneme resident David Lewis, who said he fishes off the pier three to four times a week.

Lewis said the pier is a tremendous asset to the community, bringing in needed tourist dollars.

Oxnard resident Greg Morla, who likes to bicycle to the tip of the pier two or three days a week, was glad to see the pier back in operation because it is a good place to socialize and meet people.

“During summer, this is like a fiesta,” he said.

Up the coast in Ventura, a construction crew has repaired all but the widened end of the Ventura Pier, which received extensive damage.

Ventura City Engineer Rick Raives predicted Friday that the pier will open in about six weeks. He said the city cannot reopen the undamaged portion before then because the contractor, Cushman Construction, needs room to move heavy equipment and pilings.

The Ventura Pier has lost about 61 pilings since January, 44 from the end. Also, many pilings were loosened by the strong surf and had to be re-strapped.